Love, Cortnie Clutches

In celebration of DC Fashion Week, I attended a fashion show yesterday at a place called Dirty Bar with a group of friends. Then ran into an old friend of mine! Looking chic classic and edgy in a white blazer and peach colored lipstick toting one of her own creations, a Love, Cortnie clutch.

Funny thing about this post.

I told her, like I was so damn sure about myself, that I wrote a blog about her clutches the other day....remembering seconds later that I hadn't completed and published it.

I had two drinks without eating much that day, I was trippin'!

But the fact that I started writing about her clutches a few days ago, and then saw her out last night. Is very funny! Because I haven't seen her in over a year.

So.

I felt like that was a sign for me to get back on here, and finish this post.

All of the Love, Cortnie clutches have a earthy, but chic look to them. I think the texture of each makes them truly unique too. The measurements are 11 x 9 inches.

So there's plenty of room in these babies! She makes each of them by hand, so the pattern may vary a bit on another clutch.

My favorites clutches are the tan/white, abstract shapes with red/gray/black, and the zebra print!

Seeing my friend with the leopard print one makes me want that one too. It looks really good with white and red.

I'll be ordering a few when Mama has money.

You can order any of her clutches online for $45 at Etsy. You can also check out her fashion blog Stylelusts and like her on Facebook.

Gold Name Plate Necklaces

One of my loyal readers and favorite people inspired me to write this post :) She told me that my B-Boy Sneakers post inspired her to search for a name plate necklace and one of those cute little boombox necklaces.

After she mentioned it I thought to myself, "Oh, yaahhh! Forgot about how cute those name plate necklaces are!"
 
Then I began my new mission on finding the cutest and cheapest nameplates and boombox pieces online.

My Hip Hop Bling offers the boombox pendant for only $20. Many other similar websites offer them too for as little as $8.

Supermarket offers another version of the boombox pendant in real gold for $57. This one is my favorite!

The Ron Dotson boombox necklace made in peweter with silver plating can be purchased here for $290.

For those interested more in the nameplates. On Soul Jewelry's website they offer diamond name plate necklaces for the uber affordable price of $600. Ha!

They also customize regular gold name plates and ones with hearts and stars as well for $140.

 JC Penny will customize one for you too for $170. This could be a good option for those who would rather buy inside a store than online.

If you would rather go for a cheaper nameplate. One that is sterling silver with a 14 karat gold overlay or just sterling silver. You can buy one from Limoges Jewelry for $40.

If you don't want to order online and you want something more affordable. Zales offers a sterling silver with 14 karat gold overlay name plate for $68.

 

If you are looking for a nameplate more unique. You can purchase a Korean one written in Hangul from a store on Etsy for $31. It is of course 14 karat gold overlay or silver, but still cute nonetheless.

You can also order a Arabic nameplate like the one Kanye has around his neck for $170 here.

I remember wanting a nameplate necklace so bad in high school for birthdays and Christmas, but never got one. Partly, because no one in family ever knew where to buy an authentic looking one. Which I completely understood. Plus,  I wasn't interested in one of the cheesy wiry name necklaces sold at the jewelry kiosks in the mall.

Then Freshmen year of college one of my Arabic friends from Oman gave me a gold nameplate with my name in Arabic for Christmas. One of the best gifts ever too!

My girlfriend has me wanting one of the old school ones now!

 I hope these websites were helpful!

If you would rather not buy it, forward this post to someone who will get it for you! Heh heh.

B-Boy Sneakers

A couple years ago, my girlfriend lived in Harlem next to a sneaker store to the right of her apartment building. I passed it so many times on my way inside her place. I suggested to her that we go inside one day and buy a pair of B-Boy sneaks.

She agreed since we considered ourselves pretty cool and fly, but somehow we never got around to doing it.

Recently, I took an interest in B-Boy sneaks again.

Specifically, the high tops. I started off window shopping...then tried on a couple pairs of Nike Dunk High sand Nike Dunk High Skinnys with mid shin length spandex and another time with skinny jeans. I liked them with both styles that I had on.

After browsing a couple of sneaker stores for the right pair of Nike Dunk Highs, I decided to search for a more individualized pair to suit my personal style online.

Then found the perfect pair:

They are the perfect amount of girly for me. The suede makes them more feminine. Plus, I love the color gray because it's neutral and clean. I like that the multi-colored print isn't overbearing too and the tan sole gives them a unique touch. This sneaker purchase is now my fourth. Sigh. But I figured that I would need plenty of comfy walking shoes to explore Seoul.

Now that it's cold outside, or so my body thinks so.

I decided to pull them out of the box and wear them. I probably should have gotten a darker colored pair since it's almost Fall. But I still like them. And I can always find a pair more suited for Winter later anyway.

Here are some other really cool styles:









I almost bought these polk-a-dot ones above with the pink, black, and yellow laces...but decided not to since my niece would probably wear these.

*deep sigh

You can purchase any of these Nike Dunk High styles from www.niketopshoes.com.

If you haven't heard much of Nike Dunk Highs before this post. You should know that they were originally worn by men who played basketball. And now, everyone wears them. Kids, teenagers, and women. They're pretty much ingrained within Hip Hop and skateboarding culture. They are considered a lifestyle sneaker or street shoe.

Anyone who likes a funky sneaker should own a pair!

I am 30 years old and my B-Boy sneaks make me feel like a little big cool kid.

Ha!

White Out: Shaun Ross

In my opinion? 

Shaun Ross is one of the most beautiful model creatures, I have ever seen. 

Hands down!

And let me tell you something, in case you don't know me well. I'm not some super obsessed model stalker fiend that reads Vogue and Glamour every month just to get my model fix in before my crazy ass busts a blood vessel either.

Thought I should put that out there. So, you understand the rarity of me writing about a model.

Shaun Ross' features are both ethnic and westernized at the same time - making him completely unusual and fascinating at the same time. 

He's a living breathing oxymoron.

The photo above is my sister with Shaun Ross at a hotel restaurant in New York City. It was taken in the Fall of September 2010. 

I posted a really beautiful picture of him on Facebook last summer....then my sister ran into him at this hotel. 

Completely random. 

After he finished eating dinner (and she took a couple of secret pictures while he was eating with her iPhone) she bum rushed him and asked, "Will, you sign an autograph for my sister? She thinks you're so beautiful! And will you take a picture with me too?" He obliged her requests with enthusiasm. 

She reported that he was really sweet and asked her if the photos were okay. She also mentioned that he was very very gay.

Like it was really necessary to tell me that small bit of information.

It doesn't take a brain scientist to figure out that he's gay. His body language in his photos speak volumes. This might be another reason that I think he's so beautiful too. He has this sort of elegant and graceful aura about him.

But again, I think the man is beautiful. I never said I wanted to rock his world upside down! 

I will say though. 

I might secretly want to play dress up with him and peep into his closet for a second....or maybe, a couple of hours. 

Just to see all of the designer goodies he wears on a daily basis!

Okay, that is all.

A Male's Reaction to a Bow Tie

I was talking to a friend about the demands of women these days. The same issues men and women have debated over for years.

Nothing new, except for a bow tie.

Here is what he had to say: "Women are quite theatrical these days... I have seen some crazy posts from my female friends and they are losing their minds.. Yeah all the 30+ ones."

Then he shared with me a post his friend put on her Facebook page:

WANTED: A man that is... at least 6'0 tall, Christian, trustworthy, successful, romantic, handsome, funny, financially stable, spontaneous, driven, can tie a bow tie, owns more than 1 nice suit, someone that is not scared 2 express his feelings in an intimate setting, luvs dogs, has a passport, can stand a weekend away from the Bruhs, OH... AND a man that brings no baggage!! Is that 2 much 2 ask for??:0)

His reaction to it, "These women are losing it... A Bowtie for real.. Men stopped wearing Bow Ties for oh, 60+ years and now she wants a cat with a Bowtie... GTFOH... Stop watching Videos!!! SMH"

I love how strong his reaction is to this bow tie! The assumption that she is watching too much television is killing me too. Like all we do is piece together our dream man sitting in front of the television or something.

[rolling eyes]

Would this list have bothered him so much if he were a bow tie wearing man? Probably not. He knows that he fits the bill for most of the qualities on her list.

Which brings me to my next question. Do these demands become offensive when you don't meet the requirements?

I think yes!

I know a couple of men that would have been more pissed by the other demands on her list, forget the bow tie.

But then we have women like Chilli from What Chilli Wants on Vh1 who have way more outrageous demands: he cannot eat pork, he cannot have more than three baby's mommas, he cannot drink or smoke...and he basically has to be Flloyd Maywheather...since what Chilli wants is really Flloyd Mayweather.

But I think we should be fair here!

Women are not the only ones with these silly and specific requests.

There are some men out there with equally insane and demanding requests too.

Let me put it this way.

For every woman who asks her man to wear a yellow paisley bow to appease her, there is a man who will ask his woman to appease him by calling his mother every two weeks with a list of topics to discuss because she only met her once.

True story.

We talk about how crazy these lists women have, but what about men?

There are men who will only date women with flawless bodies. Men that stay away from women with no friends. Men who won't date women of specific races. Or be with a woman who wears a dress size bigger than 2. Men who only date women with dual degrees. Men who will only date women who are at the least 5'5. Men who avoid women with kids. There are men who will only date women with weaves or long hair. Men who will only date women on groupie status. Or avoid women who stay in the club, when they frequent night clubs everyday.

So.

How is a man's demands any better than a woman's demands?

Just because he's not vocal in expressing his demands aloud, does not mean his demands are any better.

If men spoke about their demands more vocally, they would be just as silly. They probably know this too, which would explain why we find out bits and pieces about their expectations over time.

Just because my friend thought it was crazy his female friend requests her men to wear bow ties, does not make it crazy to the bow tie wearing men we see at parties or clubs.

I cannot say the same for the other analogy about phone calls to mothers every two weeks to say hello, because every mention of it. I received a concerned or puzzled expression that made me feel embarrassed and stupid for rationalizing it as a normal request. But it could be a small town thing, who is to say that it is not?

What we deem absurd is not always so absurd to the next person.